Dell Alienware Aurora ACT1250 Review

With a CPU in the 95th percentile and port selection at the 99th, the Alienware Aurora ACT1250 is a connectivity powerhouse. The RTX 5060 Ti is solid, not spectacular, and 16GB of RAM is strictly average. If you find it for $1,500 at B&H, it's a solid deal; anything higher, and you're paying for ports over pure performance.

The Alienware Aurora ACT1250 makes a strong first impression with its CPU and connectivity. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF sits in the 95th percentile for desktop processors, which means this 20-core chip is a genuine beast for compiling code, rendering, or crunching spreadsheets. And the port selection is ridiculous: Thunderbolt, four USB-C, seven USB-A, HDMI 2.1b, and Wi-Fi 7 land it in the 99th percentile, the absolute best we've seen. If you live your life one dongle-free connection at a time, this is your desktop. The trade-off? It's a hefty mid-tower at 15.37kg, so don't plan on moving it around much, and the 16GB of DDR5 RAM is merely middle of the pack at the 50th percentile.

In our database, the Core Ultra 7 265KF is a standout performer. You're looking at compile times roughly 35-40% faster than the median desktop, and it chews through heavily threaded tasks without breaking a sweat. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti with 16GB of VRAM is a solid match for 1080p and 1440p gaming, landing in the 75th percentile for GPUs. That's well above average, but don't expect to max out Cyberpunk at 4K; you'll need to lean on DLSS for higher resolutions. The 1TB NVMe SSD is about average (73rd percentile), which is fine for a game library and everyday file access. The weak link is that 16GB of RAM: it's okay for most games today, but if you're running virtual machines or heavy creative apps, you'll feel the pinch sooner than you'd like.

Values here depend entirely on where you look. Some storefronts list this machine at $1,500, which is a fair deal for a pre-built with a 95th-percentile CPU and best-in-class connectivity. Others, however, show a baffling $360,827 price tag, which is either a data error or an elaborate prank. B&H seems to be the retailer with the actual $1,500 price, and at that level you're getting a ton of processor power and a solid GPU for the money. Just don't pay a penny over $2,000, or you're better off building your own and adding more RAM.

Stacked against rivals, the Aurora ACT1250 leans heavily on its connectivity and CPU. The HP OMEN 45L often ships with more generous RAM and a higher-tier GPU for a similar price, but its port selection is weaker. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 10 gives you better out-of-box memory (usually 32GB) and comparable CPU options, though it lacks Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi 7. The ASUS ROG GM700TZ comes with top-grade cooling and an RTX 5080 class GPU in some configurations, but you'll pay a premium. If number of ports is your priority, the Alienware wins. If you need raw GPU muscle without immediate upgrades, the HP or ASUS are better bets.

Skip this desktop if you need anything portable or space-conscious. It weighs over 15kg and scored a dismal 31.5 out of 100 in our compactness assessment, so it's basically a stationary monument. Also, if 4K gaming at ultra settings is your goal, look for a system with an RTX 5080 or above; the 5060 Ti sits in the 75th percentile, which is fine but not flagship territory. And if you see a price tag anywhere near $360,827, run the other way and don't look back.

The Alienware Aurora ACT1250 is a connectivity monster with a CPU that's among the best on the market right now. It makes the most sense for home office power users or streamers who need every peripheral plugged in at once without a hub. The RTX 5060 Ti is a capable 1440p gaming card, but the 16GB of RAM feels a little stingy for a $1,500+ desktop. Buy it if you can snag that $1,500 price and plan to drop in another 16GB stick, but skip it if you want a turn-key 4K gaming rig.